New facilities built in the Russian part of the Arctic will be put into operation by the end of 2017

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to build over 100 infrastructure facilities in the Arctic region by the end of 2017, the ministry’s press service said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Over 100 facilities in the Russian part of the Arctic will be put into operation by the end of 2017. The facilities are located on the territory of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Arctic military bases on the Franz Josef Land Archipelago, the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Sredny Island, Cape Schmidt, Wrangel Island and Kotelny Island," the statement reads.

Over 30 facilities are planned to be built on the Alexandra Land Island (the Franz Josef Land Archipelago), including the Nagurskoye airfield. "Besides, The Arktichesky Trilistnik (or Arctic Trefoil) administrative and residential compound, a unique facility built at a latitude of 80 degrees, is currently under construction in this area," the statement adds.

In the Rogachevo settlement (on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago), several technical and social facilities are under construction as well as an airfield. Over 30 military and social facilities are expected to be put into operation on Cape Schmidt (Chukotka Autonomous Area). Nearly 30 facilities will be delivered on Wrangel Island before the end of the year. A number of facilities, due to come on stream in 2017, are located on Sredny Island (the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago).

The Defense Ministry also said that during an ecological clean-up carried out in 2016, Russian troops had collected a total of 6,054 tonnes of scrap metal, 4,778 tonnes of which was moved to the mainland. On the whole, an area of 161 hectares was cleaned up.